Tarek Mehanna, Sentencing Statement (2012)
“ I was born and raised right here in America and this angers many people. How is it that I can be an American and believe the things I believe, take the positions I take? Everything a man is exposed to in his environment becomes an ingredient that shapes his outlook, and I'm no different. So, in more ways than one, it's because of America that I am who I am. ”
Tarek Mehanna, Sentencing Statement (2012)
“ Just last month, we all heard about the seventeen Afghan Muslims – mostly mothers and their kids – shot to death by an American soldier, who also set fire to their corpses.These are just the stories that make it to the headlines, but one of the first concepts I learned in Islam is that of loyalty, of brotherhood – that each Muslim woman is my sister, each man is my brother, and together, we are one large body who must protect each other. In other words, I couldn't see these things being done to my brothers and sisters – including by America – and remain neutral. ”
Tarek Mehanna, Sentencing Statement (2012)
“ In your eyes, I'm a terrorist, and it's perfectly reasonable that I be standing here in an orange jumpsuit. But one day, America will change and people will recognize this day for what it is. They will look at how hundreds of thousands of Muslims were killed and maimed by the U.S. military in foreign countries, yet somehow I'm the one going to prison for conspiring to kill and maim in those countries – because I support the Mujaheddin defending those people. ”
